And now for a post about saving money. Because the loot we save on food = more money to spend on paint & projects. I figured since I recently divulged my 2011 goal to figure out coupons and save more money this year, I should share a little coupon-related update for anyone else who’s as desperate to turn paper clippings into dolla dolla bills as I am. So here it is:
I saved $53 at the grocery store!!! Coupons really do work!!!!
Pardon all the shouting. I’m just really excited. I am definitely far from an “expert” on the subject (I just started trying to navigate the crazy coupon world a few weeks back) but here’s what I learned in the simplest of terms. Because I was a coupon dummy. Still kind of am. So I need things to be explained to me slowly. Preferably with lots of pictures and in a soothing and nurturing tone. Yup, I’m high maintenance like that.
Tip Numero Uno: You save the most money when your store (we shop at Kroger) matches coupons (ours does up to 50 cents) and when you can use a manufacturer’s coupon (like the ones you find in the paper or online) combined with store coupons or sales. For example, if Kroger has organic milk marked down by $1 and I have a manufacturers coupon for 50 cents off and Kroger matches that, a gallon of organic milk that’s normally $3 will only be $1 (because I’d score $2.00 off thanks to the store’s $1 off sale and the matched fifty cent coupon).
Not bad right? That stuff really adds up when you’re shopping for a fair amount of things (which has always been the way John & I do it, we usually do one major shopping trip every 2-3 weeks). It keeps us from spending a lot of money on impulse buys (which would occur more frequently and cost us more money if we hit the store more often for smaller trips). But I’m rambling. Back to more of my novice coupon tips.
Tip Numero Dos: If you use coupons for things you don’t eat (or just get stuff because it’s on sale) you’re still losing money, wasting time, and giving up valuable space in your house that could better be used to store other things. So even if that bag of chips is 40 cents, if you don’t normally buy chips but get all crazy at the idea of big savings you’re on a slippery coupon slope. My big rule is that I only clip (or print) coupons for things that our family already eats or would like to try. We prefer organic produce and organic dairy along with basics like pasta, bread, cereal, granola, etc. It’s not always as easy to find coupons for those things, but they do exist! And thanks to Kroger (where we have a Kroger savings card, which also offers occasional discounts on those items when you scan the card at the register) we’ve been able to save a substantial amount of money. Our last trip was our best savings ever (did I mentioned we saved $53?!!!!! oh I did. sorry, I’m just excited).
Along with picking up the Sunday paper for the bevy of coupons hiding inside (along with a Kroger weekly sale flier), here are some of the online stops that I make to find coupons that I can print or even load directly onto my Kroger card (how Minority Report is that?!).
- This is my favorite coupon site. I click the Kroger tab and the Target tab to see what’s going on (they have other stores in case you’re not a Kroger person)
- This is where I go within that site to load things onto my Kroger card
- I also check out this site for printable coupons
- And this one
- And this one
- This site is nice because it has links to a few of my favorites (some of them already listed above) in one spot
- I also drop by this site just to see what’s going on there
- And this one
- And this one
- And this one
Resist the urge to get overwhelmed though! I probably get 90% of my coupons from the top four bullets above, so there’s no need to go crazy and bookmark a million sites like I did. I just had to experiment with a bunch of them to find my favorites (aka: those top four).
Other than those two tips above, there really isn’t one big trick that helped me save tons of money. I just clipped coupons on and off for two weeks (just for things we actually need/use/eat), wrote our shopping list carefully (being sure to note how many of each item we needed for the maximum savings) and even loaded some coupons onto my Kroger card online before going into the store (thanks to this site). We spent around $160 for 2-3 weeks worth of groceries for John, Clara, and I (we walked out with over nine giant reusable bags full of stuff, and according to the receipt we purchased 77 items). And we saved $53! And that was on things like two four-packs of organic baby yogurt for Clara, two half-gallons of organic milk, organic eggs, organic produce like bananas & avocados & and peppers, and basics like whole wheat bread, wheat pasta, granola bars, cereal (and goodies like dark chocolate and ice cream). It felt so good! Here are a few more specific examples of exactly how our coupons combined with an in-store sale to save us the most money:
- We got two YoBaby Organic Yogurt 4-Packs, which were originally selling for $2.69 (which calculates to a total of $5.38). But Kroger had them marked down for 60 cents off each one (bringing each one down to $2.09) and then we had a “buy one 4-pack, get the second one free” coupon from the manufacturer, which made our total for both 4-packs just $2.09 (for a savings of $3.29).
- We got an 8 oz bag of Gorton’s grilled shrimp that was originally $5.99. But Kroger was having a special $3 off promotion so it was only $2.99. And we had a manufacturers coupon for $1 off which means that our bag of shrimp cost just $1.99 (for a savings of $4).
- We got a box of FiberOne Granola Bars that were originally $2.49. But Kroger had them on sale for $1.50 off (which made the box just 99 cents) and we had loaded a FiberOne e-coupon onto our Kroger card (thanks to this site) for 50 cents off, so we paid just 49 cents for the box of FiberOne granola bars.
Of course these are our best buys that we’re highlighting, so not everything that we purchased was that discounted. Not even close. So don’t get down on yourself if you save 20 cents here and 50 cents there. It all adds up! Just be sure you’re buying things that you actually like and eat, not just things that are on sale.
Oh and a few more couponing 101 tips that I picked up are:
- Just because something is 10/$10 doesn’t mean you have to buy ten items (it’s usually just labeled that way to get you to buy more).
- Resist the urge to buy the largest size of things that are on sale- often you save the highest percentage when you use a $1.00 off coupon on the $2.00 cereal box, not the supersized $4 one (this was the hardest principle for me to grasp at first since my instinct was that buying something huge saved me more money). Of course if the larger one is substantially less money per ounce and you have a use for a large amount of something, it could be worth the upgrade- but I was surprised how often I noticed them listed as the same price per ounce.
- Coupons are allegedly cyclical, meaning that most coupon pros claim that every six weeks the same items go on sale again. This theoretically means that if you have space to stock up on your favorite cereal when it’s on sale, you only have to buy enough to last you six weeks, and then the sale should pop up again (of course this isn’t to suggest that you should have a six week stockpile of every item, but it does reinforce the idea that you never have to buy 100 of something that’s “an amazing deal” because it’ll most likely be a great deal again in a little over a month).
Oh and here’s how I keep things organized. I have a clear plastic sleeve where I toss all of my coupons as I clip them throughout the 2-3 week span between major shopping trips, then before we go to Kroger I take out all the ones I won’t be using so it’s only full of coupons I’ll be “spending” and I slip my detailed shopping list in there with them (that way I know how many of something or what sized box I need to get to use my coupon without thumbing through all of them). When I get to the register I hand over my Kroger card for them to scan (for all uploaded discounts) and then I hand over my paper coupons as well. So far it seems to work.
So that’s my coupon update for ya. Happy snipping to one and all. And all you varsity coupon peeps better share your tips! I know I still have lots to learn!
Psst- All kids toys are not created equal. Check out what Clara got that looks so good we never want to tuck it out of sight (unlike 99% of her other toys).
Amanda says
I was raised in a couponing family, so there is totally something soothing about sitting with the Sunday paper and clipping away. But the online ones? I need to check these out – thank you!
I find it’s a big help to sort coupons into categories in a wallet-size, sectioned plastic filing envelope. I covered mine with cute fabric using a glue gun, so it’s even pretty to look at, and I marked the tabs with my handy label maker. Our categories are things like: pets, personal care, household, condiments & canned, snacks & baking, meat & dairy, etc. With some coupons expiring a month or more after I get them, it’s great to help me remember what’s in there!
Sophie says
Gotta love couponing, Southern Savers, and Kroger! Loving the Mega Deals this week.
Our Kroger doubles $.55 or less, which is still pretty awesome!
Noel says
Thanks for the awesome post! I go through phases where I clip coupons but I always end up feeling disorganized and like it’s just too much trouble. Can’t wait to try your methods! I had no idea there is a way to load coupons on a store card- wow! I’m going to do some research to see if any stores by me do that.
Have you noticed a difference in the price of food in Richmond, compared to NYC? I’m from NJ and the price of pretty much everything here is high. My fiance and I are considering moving out of state (VA is a strong contender, as there are teaching opportunities for me and we looove the area) and I’ve heard the cost of living is much cheaper there!
Happy Couponing!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! There’s a huge difference here when it comes to cost of living (moving from NYC was such a shock when it came to everything from grocery shopping to house prices). We love VA! Come on down!
xo,
s
Felicity @ Our Little Beehive says
Just don’t move to NoVA thinking you’ll save. Holy sticker shock!
Sarah says
Thank you for a coupon article that doesn’t include a ton of abbreviations! I have tried on and off to coupon, and have always been overwhelmed by websites that seem to talk in code. I’m with you – I need a very slow explanation, with lots of easy to read examples. Thanks for the tips.
Kim S says
Sarah – I agree! How is anyone supposed to learn when there are acronyms and abbreviations everywhere? I definitely can’t follow a lot of the coupon sites out there.
Sherry – I’ve tried couponing before (kind of half-heartedly, haha) but I haven’t checked out the southernsavers.com site and that looks like a good one! My husband and I recently watched a couponing show on TLC and he’s interested in learning now too…as we walk through the grocery store now he whispers “We’re coupon DIVAS!!!” like one of the ladies in the show and it cracks me up every time.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha. I have to get John to whisper that. It would make my day.
xo,
s
Sierra- Home Sweet Frugal Home says
When I first started couponing, I was also totally overwhelmed with all the abbreviations out there. I researched it and I wrote an article with all the coupon lingo. Hope it helps!
http://www.homesweetfrugalhome.com/2011/01/coupon-lingo.html
courtney says
you should check out iheartkroger.com too. i shop at publix and the writer also has iheartpublix.com. she onlines all of the great deals for the week and online coupons that are available for the items.
i’m trying to do better this year with my couponing, too. thanks for inspiring!
Sara says
You have totally inspired me to start coupon clipping! One question though- how do you go for 2-3 weeks on only one produce run? I feel like we go through produce/salad stuff so quickly I have to stop at our local produce stand once/week (in between my bigger Trader Joe’s and Shoprite runs) because if I stock up for 2-3 weeks at a time it will surely go bad before I can use it all!
YoungHouseLove says
We do one quick produce run around 1.5 weeks after a major shopping trip (which allows us to go 3 weeks between major trips). But we have a rule that we can’t go past the produce section and we usually have a budget going in (like $15 tops for all the organic bananas, romaine, peppers, apples, carrots, and sweet potatoes that we need). Kroger has some pretty good 10/$10 sales too (organic avocados are usually just as cheap as the regular ones thanks to sales).
xo,
s
Melissa says
Good for you!
I used to me a mega coupon queen. But as we added more kids to our home, my time dwindled to keep up on coupons and sales… which is ironic, since with four kids we could really use to save as much on food as we can!
I’m a little inspired to try to get into it again. It’s frustrating though when all the great “deals” out there are for crap we don’t use – Hamburger Helper? Frooty Pebbles? Spagetti O’s? — No thanks, I’ll pass. Hard to find coupons on the better quality food items!
Emily says
Melissa – I was thinking the same thing. My trips to the grocery store are mainly for produce and dairy products. I rarely purchase any pre-packaged food, other than yogurt. I’m skeptical that coupon clipping would really make that much of an impact on my shopping.
It also doesn’t help that I don’t shop at a big chain. I live in the city of Boston and go to a small locally owned (incredibly expensive!) supermarket which is in walking distance.
Oh well
Jennifer says
We rarely eat processed foods due to being a grain-free family. Natural organic applesauce is about as processed as we get. However, we do coupon for things like cleaning products and paper products. We don’t save as much on our grocery budget as people who buy more processed foods but that is okay – compared to my friends we pay far less in doctor copays :-)
Jennifer Mitton says
Wow. While my grocery stores all match coupons, they ALL have a rule around here, that they only match “up to” $1. So… if it’s a 50 cent coupon, you’d get a dollar… if it’s a 75 cent off coupon, you’d get a dollar, and for all those dollar and $1.50 coupons.. there’s no matching anymore. This is for all the major chains and local grocers in my area. :( Which is definitely a bummer, because almost all coupons in my paper now, are big dollar items off of multiple purchases. “Save $1.50 when you buy 3 I don’t have room for 3 of most of the items I use… so coupons have been rough for the past year. THAT SAID… I absolutely, completely shop “to-the-flier”… if you catch the things that are on sale, BOGO, or marked down, you can save big money too. My bill yesterday was $38 in savings just from grocery store sale items. (149 to 111) so it can be done! :)
Valerie says
Something that has saved us a lot of money is making yogurt from milk. Milk is a lot cheaper, and we found a good crockpot yogurt recipe. With little kids that eat lots of yogurt, this has been great for us. You can basically make 1 gallon of yogurt for the price of one gallon of milk. You can add any fruit or other flavors you want at the end.
Jen says
I started making crockpot yogurt a few months ago and it’s amazing! I sometimes strain some of the whey out to make it Greek-style, which saves me so much money compared to paying $1.79 for one dinky cup of Greek yogurt at the store.
Christine says
I just started couponing as well! And one meal-planning site that has changed my life is http://www.e-mealz.com. I literally spend 15 minutes planning my meals/shopping trip each week, and we rarely waste food (before I would always have random cheeses or vegetables or sauces going bad in the refrigerator because I didn’t know what to make). We still have some family favorites, but the weekly meals on this site are lifesavers. You can even choose the Kroger meal plan, and they specfically incorporate that week’s sales into the shopping list. Genius!
Rachel says
Ditto! I love E-Mealz! We were on the Publix for 2 plan which saved me anywhere from $25-$50 each week from what I was spending at Kroger without meal-planning. What’s even better is that now I’m getting the hang of meal planning and matching meals up with coupons and store sales to get the best deals, so I have switched us to the low-fat plan for two and am still spending the same amount at Publix. Couldn’t do it without Southern Savers!
I shopped at Kroger for years, but once I realized I could shop at Publix (more upscale, better produce and meat, at least in my region) and save money, well…bye bye Kroger!
CJ @ somethingtochase.com says
Wow! You have inspired me to start clipping right away! I am amazed at the savings! I have always been intimidated by coupons — Jason and I are always proud when we save money just from having the store savings card… imagine what we could save if we also were extreme couponing! I’m sold!
Hollie says
It is awesome your kroger matches coupons up to one dollar. Mine only doubles up to 50 cents! I have been coupling for about 14 months! I have found that i save WAY more at publix! And shopping there really is “a pleasure”! I use iheartpublix.com and southernsavers.com! I also shop CVS and Walgreens for toiletries and paper products! They are usually way cheaper than Wal-mart. Plus they give you Register Rewards and ExtraCare Bucks to spend on your next trip! I used to only clip coupons for items my family uses, but I have learned that clipping every coupon leads
to creating overage that can be applied to items that you may not have
coupons for (I.e. Produce). I have reduced our grocery and personal care item budget from about 250 per month to around 120! I love couponing! People shouldn’t knock it till they try it! Sherry, you will get better and better as time goes on! And so will the savings!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Hollie,
There’s a good chance I was reading the receipt wrong. Oops! Scroll down to the convo with “Amy” about it for more info. Thank goodness it highlights the total money saved at the bottom, because reading my receipt is like a foreign language to me! Haha.
xo,
s
Sarah says
I know you guys dont shop at walmart BUT walmart matches all other stores sales and takes coupons on top of that (you have to bring in the circular though)! So if Kroger is running a special then walmart will match that special and take manufacture coupons.
I cant say Im a couponing expert but I try to save a little here and there!
Yulia says
Sarah, do you show the circular to the cashier, or do you have to take a special trip to the courtesy desk to get them to match the price? The only downside about the coupons at my Walmart is that they don’t double them.
ashley says
I’ve been using coupons for over a year now and rarely ever pay for health and beauty products. I don’t use a whole lot of them for food, just a few each week. Like you said, I could get some soup in a cup for super cheap but I’m not savng if I would have never bought it anyways.
Anyways, I just wanted to say that most of your savings came from just using your kroger card which is really, really misleading. As soon as kroger came out with their card they slowly increased prices. Essentially you have to use the card to get the “normal” price so you really aren’t saving. I shop at meijer and they don’t have a store card but their prices are lower usually. I’m sure as soon as they come out with a card their prices will go up and things will go on “sale” if you use your card.
Abby T says
Huge Kroger fan here! I usually go to the store every 2 weeks. I just went on Sunday and spent $80 and saved $53! I love when they do the Mega Events! I also follow this blog, she does deals that are for the RVA area. It has great info! http://saveitrva.blogspot.com/
Tom Leonards has great deals too. I just got chicken for $1.59/lb and bagged cheese for 3 for $3. Meal planning helps me a lot.
Katy says
I started couponing because of my grandma. She would go grocery shopping and have so many coupons and sales that when checking out she would owe nothing! $200 of groceries for free! She buys tons of stuff and shares with her church, friends, and family. I have never saved that much, but last week was over $46 and ended up with a $32 bill. Love it! Thanks for the post!
Christine says
I recently learned that if you have a BOGO coupon you can still use a cents off coupon on the second item you are buying because all stores let you use one coupon per item, even if the second item is free.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow that’s a game changer! Thanks for sharing!
xo,
s
n says
This definitely is different for every store, in every region, always check your individual store’s policies.
Sarah says
thanks for the tips! some of these sites are new to me :)
Erika says
Good tips! I usually shop at Publix, but I’ll have to check out Kroger if they have organic stuff. It is SO expensive!
Can’t wait to check out the sites you recommended.
Kim says
YEA COUPONING!!!! I just started in January and I’ve saved my family a couple hundred dollars at least. It’s money for the taking! I’m a little OCD about the organization so I have a 36 section binder that really works for me.
http://www.thekrazycouponlady.com is the best site I’ve found for west coasters.
Lauren (in PA) says
I know you guys are Target fans, so I’m not sure if you have a Target Red Card, but if you do that’s ALWAYS a 5% discount on all purchases. May not seem like a lot, but seeing the way Target shopper are (come in for deodorent and leave with two carriages full), it does add up to easy savings. Also, I don’t do credit cards so my red card is tied to my debit account. ALSO, you can register Clara’s future school up to receive a % to go to that school!
YoungHouseLove says
It totally adds up! We love it!
xo
s
Anna Tisdale says
CLARA’S NEW ROCKER
Now that is hot! My parents actually have a Vespa scooter and Stella scooter, so we are definitely scoot people. Not trying to slip in a shameless plug…but have you heard of toddler and youth adirondack chairs? A lot of times you can get plastic ones but occasionally you come across a woodworker (like my mom!) that makes beautiful, sturdy, real wood ones; stained or painted for a customized look. They look like real furniture and can fit any style with color/stain options. My mom purchased the plans online and used her small shop in the garage to make two: one for my baby cousin, and one for a friend’s grandson. They ADORE them. I could see one for Clara in the sunroom; add a pillow and it doubles as a Burger spot! Don’t know what your tool situation is, but it could be a great project for John!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like fun! We’ll have to check them out.
xo,
s
Felicity @ Our Little Beehive says
We get the Sunday paper just for the coupons too. Well, coupons and the styles section ;) I try to shop just once a month, no less than every three weeks, but the pickings get a little slim towards the end of the month! Do you guys plan out meals for the entire time or just buy the staples?
YoungHouseLove says
We do our best to plan meals and buy as many as we need to tide us over 2-3 weeks so we don’t find ourselves eating out or back at the store too soon.
xo,
s
Kristen says
I started couponing based off your post about your goals for 2011, and so far, I’m loving it!
Rebekah M says
I’m a learning couponer too! Isn’t it amazing when you have a receipt you’re proud of??
Amy Barber says
1- thanks SO much for the tips.
2- Tips for buying produce in bulk to span a couple weeks: Debbie Meyers green bags. They work SO WELL! I barely throw out produce EVER anymore and I now shop only 2 weeks.
3- When you said up top that Math isn’t your strongpoint, I lol-ed when I thought, “Why don’t you have Vector take a look at it?” hehe.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah, it’s true. Vector is much better at math. Haha.
xo,
s
Amy says
Doesn’t it feel so satisfying to do a little homework before hitting the store and save!?! I never buy things that we don’t use and mostly buy organic every chance I get. My last Kroger trip was the best yet, spent $102 and saved $140! My husband was so stoked :)
Btw, I’ve only been couponing since Oct. but I found that the baseball card sleeves sounded too time consuming for me. Instead I took regular plastic sleeves and labeled each with a different category. Things like: breakfast, snacks, drinks, canned goods etc. Pretty general but specific enough that as soon as you see a coupon you know exactly which sleeve it should go in. It has been working so well! Oh, and I take my binder with me in case there is a great deal and then my coupons aren’t left at home.
Danielle says
Have you registered at Stonyfield.com for their rewards program? All you have to do is enter the code on the packages to earn points for free stuff (like free yogurt, milk, etc.)
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Love it!
xo,
s
Shannon in TN says
I’ve been couponing for several years now and on average save about 30% at Kroger. To keep that in perspective, your $53 was 21%. My organization style, though, is what helps the most. I have a 3 ring binder and baseball trading card holders for all my coupons (I’d say about 50 pages). They’re filed in individual pockets according to different categories (frozen, canned, household, meat and dairy, etc) and alphabetized in each section. I used to use the kind of organizer you have but I would spend so much time at the store trying to sort through my coupons. With the notebook, I just have to flip pages to see what I have. It’s waaaaay easier!! And, I do try and shop healthy and not buy things just because they’re on sale, just as you suggested as well. Storage space is a premium and we hate wasting food (like buying salad dressing in bulk to only have it expire because we don’t use it that much).
Also, Kroger will have those mega-sales (there’s one this week) where if you buy 10 of something you get $5 off. Combine that with coupons and your savings could be up to 50% – which I have done a few times and it is such a rush!! I know that sounds crazy, but if you’re excited about $53, imagine if it were $125!
Lisa says
As far as I understand Kroger’s mfg coupon policy it is that they will double any mfg coupon, so that the doubled value is up to $1. So a .35 coupon will double to .70, a .50 will double to $1, and a $.75 or .80 one will not quite double to a max of $1. A $1 coupon is just $1.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
Yup, scroll back to a convo we had with Amy for more info. Apparently it varies by region and they run specials. Also, I’m not great at decoding receipts. Haha.
xo,
s
Anna @ Take the Side Street says
These are some great tips! I need to consider getting back into it… I was never an expert-carrying-a-coupon-binder or anything, but I did save lots of money… I just felt like it sapped a lot of my time, just searching for good ones and trying to coordinate my shopping lists to sale fliers so I wasn’t taking for-evah. Have you felt that way at all, or was I just doing something wrong?? :) I’d love some tips (because maybe I just fail at time management naturally??) :)
YoungHouseLove says
So far I love it! I just sit in front of the TV and clip things (probably spending around 15 mins a week or less) and then before we go shopping I sit down and get organized with a flier and my coupons and that might take 25 mins or so, but since we shop every 2-3 weeks it’s not bad at all!
xo,
s
Monica F says
I’ve been couponing since December 30 and have saved over $200 with coupons that I spent MAYBE $30 out of pocket on. I now have 8 months of shampoo (John Freida and Garnier) and 4 months of laundry detergent that I have spent less than $5 on. I’m addicted to saving money. lol I have Krazy Coupon Lady, Wild for Wags, and I Heart the Mart on my Facebook so when ever they post up deals I go and check them out and get my coupons clipped.
LeeAnn says
High Five! I keep those receipts tacked to my pin board for a instant high whenever I need motivation. My local grocery store (in PA) allows you to sign in on their website with your bonus card number and it actually shows you what you purchase most often and has a printable list of those items and states if they sale for that week. Plus there are additional coupons for things like the meat counter or the produce department, which are things you typically don’t have coupons for. I haven’t used this service to the fullest, but you got me motivated again!
Kathryn says
Does anybody know of a good grocery coupon site for CANADA? We like to shop at No Frills, Superstore and Metro. I tried Googling… it’s a bit overwhelming!
Loren says
I know you guys love organic produce, and it usually is best to buy organic. But if you are trying to tighten the food budget it is really more important to get organic produce when you are buying thin skinned fruits and veggies, or if you eat the skin. And things that come grow in the ground (they soak up more pesticides). So organic lettuce, apples, carrots, potatoes are more important than organic bananas, avocados and oranges. Which get sprayed with less pesticides because they have greater natural defenses, don’t absorb nearly as many pesticides and you don’t eat the skins anyway. (Unless you are using the orange ‘zest’ in a recipe.) I usually skip over the extra $$ for organic bananas.
But I am not feeling them to a baby so I don’t have any reason to be extra protective :)
Christy says
I use a Trapper Keeper like binder with a zipper and baseball card holders divided up by category to organize my coups. It just makes it easy to flip through. I only cut coupons for things I know I will need before their expiration (so if I have a new bottle of lotion or shampoo, I don’t clip those coupons b/c I probably won’t need to buy them before the coups expire).
I follow two sites to keep it simple– Southern Savers and Totally Target. Southern Savers is very comprehensive and has great features like showing you were online coupons are and the ability to print a list based on selecting coupons you want to use. Totally Target posts readers clearance and unlisted sales they have found.
I also I try to plan my meals. Some weeks are better than others. I like E-Mealz because it gives you a weeks worth of meals (and they have several dietary options) and the grocery list. It’s just the two of us, so sometimes I just choose 3 of the meals so I don’t over buy.
mandy madison says
This is awesome! I wish our grocery stores (Iowa) would match coupons. Even though they don’t, we still manage to save quite a bit of money on our monthly shopping trips. thanks for the great post!
Stephanie says
Too funny – just yesterday Nate B had a couple of TLC’s Extreme Coupon-ers on the show and I was amazed! Another site they mentioned was MrRebates.com which apparently pays you cash back on 1000s of stores when buying online.
Jess says
I love the moneysavingmom and thefrugalfind websites for good deals. Right before Christmas I scored (not through their sites however) a totally free Sonicare electric toothbrush after coupons and mail in rebates. It was normally $70-ish. That’s my biggest couponing-trophy to date!
Melissa @ HOUSEography says
You are so right about meal planning and saving money – I find we order take-out less and my grocery trips are more focused. Of course, as I sit here, I am trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight so clearly I’m not awesome at it. I am an occasional coupon clipper. Actually, I used to use them for diapers all the time until I discovered Amazon Moms and now I cannot go back!
Heather S. says
Yay for y’all!! I began couponing a year ago as a way to stay at home with my baby boy. I save an average of $200.00-$300.00 per month with coupons, and I’ve given up Wal-Mart almost completely, it’s been awesome. Southernsavers is an amazing site- I use her site along with http://www.iheartpublix.com. http://www.iheartkroger.com is another great one. Good luck! Stick with it, it is SOOO worth it!!!
Stephenie from Decorating Addiction says
Okay so my husband and I just started couponing at the start of January 2011 too (I’ve blogged about it too). We are getting a little obsessed, but in a good way. One thing you should definitely do is check out the deals at Rite Aid. You can get toothpaste, fiber bars, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, vitamins, cereal etc for FREE. I kid you not. They have an amazing program with their Up Rewards. And if you watch videos on Rite Aid online (they are little 30 second commercials), you can get up to $5 off your total order. It’s insane and we cannot believe we didn’t discover it sooner. Good luck!
Here are two posts on how to do it if you’re intersted:
http://decoratingaddict.blogspot.com/2011/01/married-to-coupon-drugstore-cowboy.html
http://decoratingaddict.blogspot.com/2011/01/coupon-cowboys-deal-of-week.html
Jenny says
Once you save that first $53 its hard to imagine going back huh! Glad our Kroger & Target lists helped you save and thanks for sending folks our way.
Teresa says
This was a great post, Sherry. Nice to hear a ‘normal’ person explain how couponing works. Folks that are too fanatic about anything, freak me out :P Sorry, hard-core couponers.
tammy says
For just starting it sounds like you are doing great! I’ve been using coupons regularly for about 12 years. It has definitely helped in being able to be a SAHM for the last 10 years.
I think as I scanned through other comments, someone questioned doubling in regions? Yes, every region is different. (My husband works at a corporate office for a large grocery chain.) The same store may double up to $.50 in one area, $.99 in another, etc. And they all run different specials on doubling coupons too. Some areas will often have a double up to $1 just for a few select days, others will rarely/never see this.
Also, if you haven’t already, check out Amazon Mom.
Sherry, wait until you figure out the Drugstore Game. You’ll never pay for a toothbrush ever again. ;)
Nicole Marie says
Great job! I’m a couponer as well. I don’t know if anyone shared this but one other deal to know when couponing is that coupons of different “kind” can be stacked. So if you have a coupon for $.50 off and a coupon for the same item for buy one get one free, you can “stack” those (couponing term meaning you can use both). That’s a little trick most people don’t know. Also, I’m not sure if this is in your area, but in Dallas, Kroger offers an additional 10% off for purchasing Kroger brand items with the Kroger card. You may want to check on that. Happy couponing!
Kristine says
Sherry, did you watch Nate Berkus yesterday? He had that Krazy Coupon lady on there w/a bunch of other saving tips. It really got me in the mood to start couponning as well. Looks like so much fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Man I missed it! We don’t actually get the Nate show here in Richmond (so sad!) so I’ll have to find a clip online!
xo,
s
Kristine says
Oh darn! I thought it was such a coincidence you were talking about couponning today, when they had that on the show yesterday, so you had to have watched it. Looks like they have clips up from the show already! Yay! I missed the first 5 min.
Karen says
I have saved a ton of money from smart use of coupons and sales. I have found the couponmom.com system to organize and clip only the coupons you actually need. I store the whole coupon circular(s) by date in plastic page protector sleeves in a 3 ring binder.
There are often items that end up being free (or literally just a few pennies). Even if I don’t use them in our household I’ll pick up and donate to charity.
D says
i tried clipping coupons for a short period, but it fell by the wayside because it was so time consuming.
Karrie says
Awesome job, guys! We love shopping at Krogers. I don’t know if all Krogers do this but ours does a couple of things in our area that help us save money. 1) they send us Kroger coupons based on our spending habits (I think they’re sent quarterly) so we’ll be awarded with coupons for a free bag of baby carrots and free ice cream plus a lot of $1 off coupons for items we regularly buy. And 2) we save on the price of gas by using Shell and bringing the receipt to Kroger to get double the reward points. The most we saved was .30 off per gallon of gas but on average it’s .10.